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Story: Unpaid domestic work

Counting for nothing

Audio file

In her 1989 book Counting fornothing, economist Marilyn Waring argued that because women’s domestic work was considered ‘non-productive’ and was therefore not included in national statistics, this major contribution by women was not recognised in the making of public policy.

Using this item

Bridget Williams Books

Reference: Marilyn Waring, Counting for nothing: what men value & what women are worth, Wellington: Allen & Unwin/Port Nicholson Press, 1988.

by Lindsay Misson

Sound file from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero (Women - Marilyn Waring - “Counting for Nothing”/Reference number T6701).

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How to cite this page

Matt Morris, Unpaid domestic work – The importance of unpaid work, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/23295/counting-for-nothing (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Matt Morris, published 4 March 2010.